Parallel Worlds
by SciencyBoom
Summary: Persona 3/P3P. This world was too cruel to allow their love to be. But perhaps, in an altered reality, they could be together. In these parallel worlds they could be happy. Couple of AU one-shots. FeMC x MC, Akihiko x Mitsuru.
1. Chapter 1

They first see each other on the train to school.  
She's looking out the window in awe as it seemingly glides over the ocean to Port Island.  
He's slouched against one of the seats, dozing, while his headphones buzz with the music playing through them.  
When the train pulls in at the station, they bump into each other as they're getting off.  
They glance at each other, mumbling a quick apology before ducking their heads and heading towards the exit.  
It doesn't take them long to notice they're walking in the same direction. Then it's the uniform that tips them off.

The girl clears her throat shyly.

"So… You go to Gekkoukan… huh?" she asks.

The boy blinks at her before pointing to his headphones.

"Oh…" she blushes as she realises.

He removes them, leaving them to hang at his neck.  
She runs her fingers around her own, bouncing gently away from her chest with each step she takes.  
He notes this.

"Nice choice" he remarks, noting their similar tastes.

She flashes him a smile.  
He returns it by lifting the corners of his mouth, so slightly that she almost doesn't notice it.

"Gekkoukan?," he motions to her uniform "I haven't seen you around before"

She nods.

"I just transferred"

"In the middle of the term?"

"Yup"

"Scholarship or something?"

She clicks her tongue.

"Parents died"

"Oh…"

She glances at him, trying to gauge his reaction, but she finds herself laughing.  
He looks at her, confused.

"What, no 'I'm sorry for your loss'?"

He frowns.

"'Sorry' doesn't help in those situations"

She stops laughing and looks at him, trying to read his eyes.

"How…?"

Then it hits her.  
She lets out a low whistle.

"You too, huh?"

He nods.

"Sucks"

They walk the rest of the way in silence.

When they finally reach Gekkoukan High, her mind makes a snap decision and she tugs on his hand, motioning for him to stop just outside the school gates.  
He looks at her, eyes questioning.

"You know your way around here right? What do you say you give me the tour?"

Her eyes are burning with something he can't quite put his finger on.  
He mulls it over for a minute or so before agreeing.

He brings her to the strip mall and they eat ramen as they get to know each other, exchanging stories about family and friends, anecdotes about childhood, fleeting dreams and wishes.  
He's never told anyone these things before but now they're just pouring out of his mouth while she listens, ruby eyes focused on him the entire time.  
Occasionally, she'll nod in sympathy, or interject with a tale of her own, and he doesn't mind when she does because he thinks he's talking too much and wants to hear her voice and get lost in her memories.  
They finish their ramen and she makes a crack about how her stomach is as big as any guy's or something like that.  
He's barely paying attention as he hands over the money to pay for both their meals, he's too focused on her.

"You don't have to do that…" she says.

He remains silent but his hand brushes against hers as they leave and it feels wonderful.

He takes her to Paulownia mall and they browse the music store for a while.  
She pulls a CD seamlessly from one of the racks and takes it to the counter to pay for it.  
She hands it to him and explains "Thanks for the ramen" before he can say anything.  
He glances at the cover and wonders how she knew he'd like it, but he doesn't ask.  
When they leave the music store, she points to an alley next to the police station and asks "What's that?"

"There's nothing there" he begins, but she's already taken his hand and he lets her lead him there.  
In the back of his mind, he remembers shades of blue and an elevator that never stopped.

The alley is empty, as he promised.  
She's let go of his hand so he stuffs them into his pockets as she stares absentmindedly into the distance, seemingly pondering something.  
Her eyes come back into focus again and she grins.  
He cocks his head but she stops the question that's forming on his lips with a kiss.  
It seems like an eternity before they pull apart.  
He's not quite sure how he should react so he goes with his instinct.  
He grabs her and pulls her close and soon he's lost in her taste, only knowing he wants more, so he's running her hands through her hair forcing her closer, drinking her in.  
Her hands somehow find their way up his shirt and he leans into her touch.  
He breaks away panting and looks into her glittering irises.

"I don't even know your name"

She laughs quietly.

"Arisato Minako"

He freezes.

"Arisato…?"

That's impossible.  
Arisato is _his _name, and it makes him think that everything that just happened should feel wrong.  
But it doesn't.  
In the back of his mind, he's in the elevator and it stops.  
He is alone except for the shades of blue and a single mirror.  
He sees his reflection as a petite brunette girl with red eyes and defiant features.

A voice in his mind whispers "Eurydice"


	2. Chapter 2

Fire follows Akihiko Sanada. His life is destined to go up in flames. This is what he believes. Fire makes him suffer and there is no escaping it. It always burns.

He doesn't remember the first time it happened. He's only heard whispers among social workers which turned into playground myths before developing into bedtime stories told by cruel, mocking children. They said a fire had killed his parents, and that's how he and Miki wound up in the orphanage. They'd still been young at the time. Akihiko doesn't remember it. It remains a whisper, a myth, a bedtime story.

Then there was the orphanage itself. He remembers the sky filled with glorious orange and the air laced with burning. Miki was afraid of fire, he recalls. Perhaps he should feel guilty. But it's been so long now… _Gotta be at least 20 years… _He shakes his head. He doesn't know Miki anymore. He should feel guilty. But he doesn't.

He wanted to protect her. That's why he'd started boxing in the first place. Then it had turned out he had a natural flair for it. For once he thought things might actually be looking up for him. He sailed through competitions with ease. He was going to become a household name, they said, it was just a matter of time.

And that's when the fire struck again. He'd been training late in the boxing hall one night. Everyone else was long gone, it was just him and the punch bags. The eerie silence should've tipped him off, he supposes. But it didn't, and it was too late to do anything about it. He hadn't been able to get out in time, and he'd inhaled enough smoke by the time they got to him to permanently damage his lungs. That was the end of his boxing career and all of his supposed friends had vanished from his life practically overnight. Words were cheap, Akihiko learned, so he turned to drink as he watched his world collapse.

He barely remembers life for a long time after that. One thing he does remember is meeting Shinjiro Aragaki again. The boys had been friends in the orphanage, but Shinji had followed had taken a bad path while Akihiko was the golden boy. He scoffed at that. Things had evened out, hadn't they? Shinjiro empathised with Akihiko. He understood what he was going through. So they wasted away together until one day Shinjiro had too much, put a gun in mouth and pulled the trigger.

Akihiko was alone after that until Mitsuru found him. It was destiny, he'd say, but Mitsuru didn't like that word. She preferred to call it serendipity. Either way, Akihiko knew he was blessed. She saw him one day in an underground parking lot. She was there on business, with her crisp white shirt and heels that click-clacked against the asphalt and a sleek, black, state-of-the-art mercedes, while he was dressed in tattered rags, merely seeking out some shelter and, if he was lucky and security didn't see him, somewhere to sleep for the night. Mitsuru still claimed to this day that she didn't know what had made her do it exactly. It was just something about how their eyes met, the flash of recognition that caused her to stop in her tracks and drop her car keys. Before she knew it, she'd offered him a hot meal and a place to stay for the night.

Akihiko had felt awkward in the huge mansion. The way his footsteps echoed through the vast space made him uneasy. The luxury en suite in the room Mitsuru had put him up in for the night was far bigger than any bathroom he'd ever seen before. He'd taken a shower before dinner and it was so long since he'd felt hot water on his skin that it burned a little at first. When he emerged, his skin was clean for the first time he could remember in a long time. A navy, expensive-looking suit had been laid out on the bed for him. It felt uncomfortable when he put it on, like he was pretending to be something he wasn't.

"You look well," Mitsuru had commented "It suits you"

He thanked her the next day for her hospitality and kindness. She asked him to stay another night. He refused. So she kissed him. They made their way to her room and collapsed onto her bed before he accepted the offer. She told him to shut up and kiss her. He did so hungrily, and the night faded into a dizzy memory of passion and lust.

And so Akihiko Sanada was saved.


End file.
